lawsuitshttp://www.livingchurch.org/taxonomy/term/861/all
enPetition Dismissed in Illinoishttp://www.livingchurch.org/petition-dismissed-illinois
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Both parties have issued responses to the Supreme Court of Illinois choosing on November 26 to dispose of a petition by the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.</p>
<p>From the <a href="http://www.episcopalchicago.org/our-stories/2014/11/26/petition-illinois-supreme-court-denied">Diocese of Chicago</a>:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The Illinois Supreme Court today denied a petition by the Episcopal Church to review the ruling of a lower court which had found that certain property of the former Episcopal Diocese of Quincy now belongs to a breakaway group organized as the Anglican Diocese of Quincy.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“We are disappointed in this decision,” said the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. The former Episcopal Diocese of Quincy reunited with Lee’s diocese in 2013 and now constitutes its Peoria deanery. “My first concern is to attend to the pastoral needs of the faithful Episcopalians in the Peoria deanery, who have shown such grace and fortitude as the legal process has unfolded. We are aware of our legal options and will consider them in due course.”</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The property at issue in the case is an endowment fund and a house adjacent to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Peoria.</p>
<p>From the Anglican Church in North America’s <a href="http://www.anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/928">Diocese of Quincy</a>.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a petition by the Episcopal Church to review the ruling of a lower court which had found that contested funds and properties in various locations throughout Illinois rightfully belong to the Diocese of Quincy of the Anglican Church in North America.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The decision effectively brings to a close several lawsuits brought by the Episcopal Church against Illinois Anglicans over funds and property that have been in contention since a 2008 split over doctrinal issues.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">An Illinois District Court of Appeals had earlier upheld the decision by the court in Adams County in favor of the Anglican Diocese. The court ruled that there is no provision in the governing documents of the Episcopal Church (USA) that keeps a Diocese from withdrawing its membership in that organization. The Supreme Court has now subsequently decided in favor of the lower courts in its denial of the Episcopal Church’s appeal.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“We give thanks to Almighty God for His providence,” said the Right Reverend J. Alberto Morales, OSB, the ninth Bishop of Quincy. “Our work remains the same as it ever has been, though — to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We trust in Him to provide everything else we need as we seek to make Jesus Christ known throughout this portion of the Kingdom.”</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The Anglican Diocese of Quincy has more than doubled in size and number of parishes since the 2008 split, now counting parishes in seven states. Episcopalians of the former diocese have been consolidated into the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.</p>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-disputes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property disputes</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Mon, 01 Dec 2014 17:25:49 +0000Web Editor1813 at http://www.livingchurch.orgFt. Worth Case Glides Alonghttp://www.livingchurch.org/ft-worth-case-glides-along
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>From the <a href="http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/diocesan-litigation-moves-forward-in-two-courts/">Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Ft. Worth</a>:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">At a hearing on Thursday, April 24, 2014, Judge John P. Chupp of the 141st District Court denied the Episcopal Parties’ motion to <a href="motion%20to%20stay,%20or%20stop,%20proceedings">stay, or stop, proceedings</a> [PDF] in the diocesan case in the district court and granted the breakaway ACNA parties’ motion to set aside the supersedeas order that had imposed conditions for the ACNA parties to maintain possession of the church property during appeal. The breakaway parties agreed to give notice before selling any church property in their possession.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">This ruling did not affect the ultimate outcome or prejudice our litigation strategy to recover our church property. It does mean that the Episcopal Parties will continue to move forward on two tracks in two courts:</p>
<ol><li style="margin-left: 40px;">In the 141st District Court, in the short term the parties will amend pleadings and conduct discovery on the fact-intensive claims based now on the Neutral Principles doctrine, including estoppel and trust theories.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 40px;">In the U.S. Supreme Court, the Episcopal Parties will by June 19, 2014, file a petition for writ of certiorari (appeal) to review the federal constitutional issues of the Texas Supreme Court’s decision.</li>
</ol><p style="margin-left: 40px;">In addition, the court clerk will return to the breakaway parties the $100,000 in cash that they deposited as they appealed to the Texas Supreme Court from the 2011 decision in favor of the Episcopal Parties. The Texas Supreme Court reversed that judgment in August 2013, in part imposing retroactively a new standard of Neutral Principles to determine church property disputes in Texas and ordering that the parties return to the 141st District Court to litigate under this new standard. The Episcopal Parties will appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The Rt. Rev. <a href="http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/person/rayford-high/">Rayford B. High, Jr.</a>, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, stated, “While we are disappointed that the court did not maintain the status quo, and we regret the unnecessary costs in financial and human terms as the case proceeds on two tracks simultaneously, we remember that there will be many motions and decisions before it is finally determined who gets to use the historic church property and diocesan name, as The Episcopal Church has done in this area since 1838. Exciting new developments in St. Stephens in Hurst, St. Paul’s in Gainesville, and St. Andrew’s in Fort Worth, for example, demonstrate that we have not let the litigation distract us from our primary mission and ministry of being The Episcopal Church in this diocese. Our churches continue to spread the Good News as the only places in the diocese where people can joyfully worship in a church that is part of the Anglican Communion. We continue to pray for our sisters and brothers who are not currently worshipping with us.”</p>
<p>From the Anglican Church in North America’s Diocese of Ft. Worth:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">In a hearing Thursday, May 22, before the 141st District Court, the Hon. John Chupp set the course for the conclusion of the suit filed against the Diocese and diocesan Corporation over five years ago.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Attorneys for the Diocese successfully argued against consolidation of the case, which would have re-attached portions that were not part of the 2011 Summary Judgment that was appealed to the state Supreme Court. Judge Chupp signed an order denying the proposed consolidation and clearing the way for a new Summary Judgment hearing. Additionally, local TEC parties sought to delay the date of that hearing until mid-2015, but the judge set a date before the end of 2014, much closer to the timeline proposed by the Diocese. The hearing date is Wednesday, Dec. 17; filing deadlines will be set in advance of the hearing.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">We give thanks for the positive results of this hearing and continue to pray for God’s guidance and provision.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Fri, 23 May 2014 01:02:48 +0000Web Editor1410 at http://www.livingchurch.orgTwo Tracks, Two Courtshttp://www.livingchurch.org/two-tracks-two-courts
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/diocesan-litigation-moves-forward-in-two-courts/">From the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Fort Worth</a></p>
<p>At a hearing on Thursday, April 24, 2014, Judge John P. Chupp of the 141st District Court denied the Episcopal Parties’ motion to stay, or stop, proceedings [<a href="http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/assets/20140421-LEGAL-CAUSE-141-252083-11-Motion-to-Stay-Proceedings-and-Response-to-Motion-to-Set-Aside-Order-on-Defendants-Motion.pdf">PDF</a>] in the diocesan case in the district court and granted the breakaway ACNA parties’ motion to set aside the supersedeas order that had imposed conditions for the ACNA parties to maintain possession of the church property during appeal. The breakaway parties agreed to give notice before selling any church property in their possession.</p>
<p>This ruling did not affect the ultimate outcome or prejudice our litigation strategy to recover our church property. It does mean that the Episcopal Parties will continue to move forward on two tracks in two courts:</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">1. In the 141st District Court, in the short term the parties will amend pleadings and conduct discovery on the fact-intensive claims based now on the Neutral Principles doctrine, including estoppel and trust theories.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">2. In the U.S. Supreme Court, the Episcopal Parties will by June 19, 2014, file a petition for writ of certiorari (appeal) to review the federal constitutional issues of the Texas Supreme Court’s decision.</p>
<p>In addition, the court clerk will return to the breakaway parties the $100,000 in cash that they deposited as they appealed to the Texas Supreme Court from the 2011 decision in favor of the Episcopal Parties. The Texas Supreme Court reversed that judgment in August 2013, in part imposing retroactively a new standard of Neutral Principles to determine church property disputes in Texas and ordering that the parties return to the 141 st District Court to litigate under this new standard. The Episcopal Parties will appeal that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.</p>
<p><a href="http://episcopaldiocesefortworth.org/person/rayford-high/">The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr.</a>, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, stated, “While we are disappointed that the court did not maintain the status quo, and we regret the unnecessary costs in financial and human terms as the case proceeds on two tracks simultaneously, we remember that there will be many motions and decisions before it is finally determined who gets to use the historic church property and diocesan name, as The Episcopal Church has done in this area since 1838. Exciting new developments in St. Stephens in Hurst, St. Paul’s in Gainesville, and St. Andrew’s in Fort Worth, for example, demonstrate that we have not let the litigation distract us from our primary mission and ministry of being The Episcopal Church in this diocese. Our churches continue to spread the Good News as the only places in the diocese where people can joyfully worship in a church that is part of the Anglican Communion. We continue to pray for our sisters and brothers who are not currently worshipping with us.”</p>
<p><em>Image: Justice, by Edward Onslow Ford [public domain], via <a href="http://goo.gl/E1n4R">Wikimedia Commons</a></em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-disputes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property disputes</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-fort-worth-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">diocese of fort worth</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Fri, 25 Apr 2014 11:49:27 +0000Web Editor1351 at http://www.livingchurch.orgJudge: Return $100,000 Bondhttp://www.livingchurch.org/judge-return-100000-bond
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">From the </span><a href="http://www.fwepiscopal.org/news/141stevents.html" style="line-height: 1.538em;">Diocese of Fort Worth</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> led by the Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">In compliance with the mandate issued by the Texas Supreme Court on March 21st, today the 141st District Court in Fort Worth agreed to move forward with a new trial in the property suit brought five years ago by The Episcopal Church against the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. It is anticipated that the next major event in the proceedings will be a hearing on motion for summary judgment sometime this fall, when neutral principles of law concerning trusts and property ownership in the State of Texas will be applied in the dispute.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">On Thursday morning Judge John Chupp heard discussion on both sides, then ruled on two motions. He denied a motion by TEC to stay the resumption of proceedings in his court, which would have postponed the case further while TEC considers an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court; and he ordered the return of the $100,000 cash bond posted by the Diocese in October 2011 in connection with our appeal to the state Supreme Court. His order also terminates other conditions of the supersedeas bond.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Commenting on the result, diocesan attorney Scott Brister noted, “The judge ruled with us. It’s time to move forward and finish this suit.”</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">“We are grateful to be relieved of the obligations of the supersedeas order,” added diocesan chancellor David Weaver. “We appreciate the continued prayers of our congregations as we navigate our way through the civil justice system.”</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">In the near future our attorneys will present the trial court with a proposed scheduling order to move the case forward in compliance with the Texas Supreme Court’s opinion of August 30, 2013.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">The Diocese is delighted to be on a path toward the conclusion of a lengthy and costly legal process. Bishop Iker said, “This is a great encouragement to us, and we look forward to the day when all these legal proceedings are behind us and we can get on with the mission of the Church without the distraction of litigation.”</p>
<p>TLC will post any response by the Episcopal Church’s diocese of Fort Worth when it is available.</p>
<p><em>Image: Justice, by Edward Onslow Ford [public domain], via <a href="http://goo.gl/E1n4R">Wikimedia Commons</a></em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-disputes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property disputes</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-fort-worth-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">diocese of fort worth</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Thu, 24 Apr 2014 18:56:47 +0000Web Editor1350 at http://www.livingchurch.orgAnother Round in Quincyhttp://www.livingchurch.org/another-round-quincy
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;">The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee, Bishop of Chicago, </span><a href="http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=nonzmehab&amp;v=001T4YSeKItteXkh7FTty2a4xIQLDm5cUHBRAnPuAtTjBiC0apvoS7Ci92u6hVd2QjA2LPDv3fPg9eNb5fdJO7PzLCz61zLH7IPmtHY4y18t7qRLuAAbU35YA%3D%3D" style="line-height: 1.538em;">writes</a><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"> about a decision to appeal a case involving the Diocese of Quincy:</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">Dear Friends,</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">In the two weeks since Judge [Thomas] Ortbal ruled against the Diocese of Chicago and <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Bgai8Y8Bg25deYELp0S21lNtlw0WDTCMzzhznmE1cipeRWQkFOLf9pgDlU7d-k4CsY9uSKGID2vIXZrX6TsK1ThkKk2jXw7jqmuEEIpgD9Jyc3m8CIS0IuxEsFrdRGaEIG9FOkJ8V3024Esj1lfa59k2-i7ICChnoWAT4ovSgfb8GrbEf13l9bI4qeUUtqAzQB8XL8Tv27Q=">The Episcopal Church</a>, we have been working hard to understand the ruling, assess its implications, and determine our next steps. Last Friday, September 20, we filed a motion for a stay of judgment in the Quincy trial court stating our intention to appeal the judge's ruling. We continue to maintain, despite that ruling, that the assets in dispute rightfully belong to the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, now reunited with the Diocese of Chicago. This will ultimately be decided by the appellate court.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">These legal proceedings will continue to unfold and I will keep you updated as they do. But as we wait for the courts to act, I am resolved to devote my best energy to the work that God has called us to do together. Your faith in God's abundance and your confidence in our common future, so much in evidence as I travel around the Peoria Deanery, is what most inspires me. You believe, as I do, that together we will thrive.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">If you were one of the over 600 people who gathered at St. James Commons for Rock the Block on September 15, I hope you left renewed by the spirit and energy for ministry with which our entire diocese is blessed. I was very glad to see so many of you from the Peoria Deanery that day and I look forward to being together again at our first reunified convention in Lombard on November 22-23. You can learn more about that event on our <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Bgai8Y8Bg26APc8NL7yqxyAN6wJ0zuq4TZRsw7CbmDsBJdBljKkUlxjVkVfY-HQ6dj1GWs-6ximLJkFrGIoCuGEMCt_DXIhIndXA6xM0lXS3ewS9mK9dc7LMQqo1UXtfo9GY1LDq_1tEx7Nl17uMEG91fWW_xcjUgq3WxoS_eqQ=">website</a> and by signing up for regular <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Bgai8Y8Bg27IB4jTJc9wpYsOeO1Qtud1IL3B6o6lkY_hz1i_RJJxPqjt0RuXM_CCIveIyidoqo7lWhRFWV2P-98hkdTHxSuYVVpMqKOcl4oo9V_xa33_f7MbYo5RxIrsgVzWkAySeeRcCwg1uVLGMaV2MreYLSVOSpo1ofLixh0WpuVDoTICfg==">email newsletters</a>.</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">My staff and I will be glad to talk with you if you have questions about the ongoing legal matters, the reunification process or the life of the Diocese of Chicago. You can find <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Bgai8Y8Bg26KylQiLHLsA-WIhlqD4LUsF5E1lNFAoqnFjLOggWzwCRIA8u8anoRDBZeK5szT8VToTpBpwD6KXdGOPzG0Zo0QGe8jp9xBA5BUgGeaovtVRmIxHyEzs6TelDMl6SBlIM0D1j-FA25bvJd62yd4qQU5tYaE_zgb1OQ=">phone numbers and emails</a> for all of us on the website. Thank you, as always, for your leadership.</p>
<p><em>Image: Justice, by Edward Onslow Ford [public domain], via <a href="http://goo.gl/E1n4R">Wikimedia Commons</a></em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-chicago" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Diocese of Chicago</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-quincy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Diocese of Quincy</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Fri, 27 Sep 2013 13:24:35 +0000Douglas LeBlanc1114 at http://www.livingchurch.orgU.S. Judge Tosses Lawsuithttp://www.livingchurch.org/us-judge-tosses-lawsuit
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck wrote in an order dated Aug. 23:</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Ultimately, the sum of all disputes and conflicts arising in the wake of the Diocese’s estrangement from TEC are more appropriately before, and will more comprehensively be resolved, in South Carolina state court. Therefore, Bishop Lawrence’s motion to abstain (ECF No. 13) is granted, thereby, dismissing this case without prejudice, and Bishop vonRosenberg’s motion for a preliminary inunction (EFC No. 6) is denied without prejudice.</p>
<p>The full order follows.</p>
<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/162618251/2013-08-23-Judge-Houck-Order" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View 2013-08-23 Judge Houck Order on Scribd">2013-08-23 Judge Houck Order</a></p>
<p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_79337" scrolling="no" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/162618251/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;show_recommendations=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-south-carolina" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Diocese of South Carolina</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Fri, 23 Aug 2013 23:45:35 +0000Douglas LeBlanc1067 at http://www.livingchurch.orgJudge Remands S.C. Casehttp://www.livingchurch.org/judge-remands-sc-case
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><a href="http://www.diosc.com/sys/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=517:federal-judge-remands-diocese-of-sc-case-to-state-court&amp;catid=1:latest-news&amp;Itemid=75">From the Diocese of South Carolina</a></p>
<p>U.S. District Judge C. Weston Houck today remanded the case to the South Carolina Circuit Court. In informing the parties, Judge Houck said,</p>
<p>“If this Court determined that a case may be removed based on federal question jurisdiction whenever a defendant attributed a federal constitutional issue not alleged or advanced in a well-pleaded complaint, federal question jurisdiction could potentially be expanded to all cases containing tacit First Amendment issues.”</p>
<p>Diocesan officials expressed their gratitude for the decision.</p>
<p>“We are very pleased that Judge Houck remanded the case to state court,” said Jim Lewis, Canon to Bishop Lawrence. “The issues involved are essentially those of legal identity and are wholly determined by state law, so the most appropriate place to settle is clearly in state court, where we first took the matter.”</p>
<p>With the case remanded, it returns to the court of South Carolina Circuit Judge Dianne S. Goodstein.</p>
<p>The Diocese disassociated from the Episcopal Church after the denomination attempted to remove Bishop Mark Lawrence. Following the Diocese’s decision, 49 churches representing 80 percent of the Diocese’s 30,000 members have confirmed their disassociation from TEC.</p>
<p>The Diocese has consistently disagreed with TEC’s embrace of what most members of the global Anglican Communion believe to be a radical fringe scriptural interpretation that makes following Christ’s teachings optional for salvation.</p>
<p>About the Diocese of South Carolina</p>
<p>The Diocese was founded in 1785 by the parishes of the South Carolina colony, who worshipped according to the practices of the Church of England prior to the American Revolution. Based in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, the Diocese is one of the oldest religious districts in the United States and counts among its members several of the oldest, operating churches in the nation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/legal-news.html">From the Episcopal Church in South Carolina</a></p>
<p>The lawsuit filed by a breakaway group against The Episcopal Church and its local diocese in eastern South Carolina will be heard in state court, not federal court, U.S. District Court Judge C. Weston Houck ruled today.</p>
<p>The Episcopal Church in South Carolina had sought to have the case heard in federal court, citing First Amendment issues raised by the case. The lawsuit will now return to South Carolina Circuit Court and Judge Diane S. Goodstein in Dorchester County, said Thomas S. Tisdale, Jr., Chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Judge Houck’s order cannot be appealed.</p>
<p>“We are obviously disappointed with the result, but we are confident in our legal position going forward,” Mr. Tisdale said.</p>
<p>The lawsuit was filed in January by a group of former church leaders and some 34 parishes in eastern South Carolina who say they have “disassociated” from The Episcopal Church, seeking control of the name, seal and properties of the diocese. The group continues to call itself “The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina,” and recognizes Mark Lawrence as its bishop.</p>
<p>Defendants in the suit are The Episcopal Church (the international church organization) and its local diocese, which is currently using the name “The Episcopal Church in South Carolina.” Its bishop is the Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg, who was elected by local Episcopalians in January after Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori accepted Mark Lawrence’s renunciation of his orders as a bishop in The Episcopal Church.</p>
<p>“We believe that the critical First Amendment issues at the center of this case would have been most appropriately resolved in federal court, but we respect the court’s decision to return this case to state court,” said Matthew D. McGill of the Washington, DC office of Gibson, Dunn &amp; Crutcher, who spoke for TECSC in last week’s hearing before Judge Houck.</p>
<p>“The federal court recognized that The Episcopal Church is a hierarchical church and we hope that the state court will recognize the First Amendment right of all such churches to organize and administer their affairs without government interference,” Mr. McGill said. “Our federal litigation against Bishop Lawrence continues and we hope soon will confirm that he is no longer the Bishop of the Diocese because he left the church of which the Diocese is a part.”</p>
<p>A separate federal lawsuit is still before Judge Houck. Filed in March by Bishop Charles G. vonRosenberg against Mark Lawrence, it asks the court to find that only Bishop vonRosenberg, as The Episcopal Church’s recognized bishop, should control the name and marks of the diocese.</p>
<p>The federal suit, <em>vonRosenberg v. Lawrence</em>, cites federal trademark law and a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision, <em>Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich</em>. Under that decision, civil courts may not interfere in decisions made by hierarchical churches, such as The Episcopal Church, about decisions as to who is the true bishop of a diocese.</p>
<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/147000260/Episcopal-Case-Remanded" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Episcopal Case Remanded on Scribd">Episcopal Case Remanded</a></p>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-south-carolina" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Diocese of South Carolina</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/episcopal-church-south-carolina" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">episcopal church in south carolina</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:41:41 +0000Douglas LeBlanc976 at http://www.livingchurch.orgStruck Down, But Not Destroyedhttp://www.livingchurch.org/struck-down-not-destroyed
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Daniel H. Martins</p>
<p>On March 8 Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s office released the text of the <a href="http://goo.gl/Yk9R1">Accord</a> reached between nine bishops — of which I am one — and those who filed charges against us last June under Title IV, the clergy discipline canon. In January, representatives of the Complainants and Respondents came to Richmond, Virginia, where we were joined by a professional mediator appointed by the Presiding Bishop. This document is the result of the process begun at that meeting, and is described in the canon as “conciliation.” All the parties have agreed to it, the respondents are indemnified from future action in the matter, and the case is closed.</p>
<p><em>Conciliation</em> is a bizarrely inappropriate word to describe what has happened. Going into the January meeting, we bore no ill will toward our accusers, and welcomed the opportunity to meet them face to face and talk things out. Today, I think it’s safe to say that all nine of us are processing some degree of anger and are feeling substantially alienated from those who brought the charges against us. We feel manipulated and victimized. We are nowhere near happy about this outcome, even though we stand by our decision to accept the Accord.</p>
<p>Some have accused us of cowardly capitulation. I can understand this reaction, so some explanation is in order. But it is vitally important to make a careful distinction between the tone of the document and its substance. In particular:</p>
<p>1. We admitted to no misconduct or any form of wrongdoing. The Accord contains no “finding” of guilt on our part, and the Complainants signed it.</p>
<p>2. We reaffirmed our belief in the assertions of our <em>amicus</em> brief. We continue to believe that the polity of the Episcopal Church as characterized by the 2009 <a href="http://goo.gl/ep2q7">Bishops’ Statement on Polity</a> is true and correct. We have not in any way backed away from this position.</p>
<p>Some have expressed consternation that we acknowledged that we are subject to the <a href="http://goo.gl/jYW9I">Dennis Canon</a>. Yet, all clergy are subject to all the canons. This does not mean the amici endorse or like the Dennis Canon. The matter at hand does not concern the Dennis Canon. This was no concession at all.</p>
<p>We have also been criticized for our laudatory language toward the bishops and other leaders of the “continuing” dioceses. But this language is identical to that of two resolutions passed by the House of Bishops, the second time at last July’s General Convention, where the amici who were present joined in the unanimous vote.</p>
<p>We also agreed not to file any more briefs or affidavits until General Convention considers the question of bishops filing briefs and affidavits. But this is entirely moot. We have made our point about the polity of our church in Texas and Illinois courts. There is no more reason for us to intervene as we did to protect the truth about the Episcopal Church’s polity and the interests of our own dioceses.</p>
<p>When a corporation is sued by a disgruntled customer or former employee, its legal counsel often advises the management to settle out of court, even though they believe the lawsuit is unjust. To take it to trial would be time-consuming and costly, even if it resulted in exculpation. Reaching a settlement is nearly always offensive at an emotional level, but is often the right thing to do when considered rationally. If we had declined to sign this accord, the chances are that the matter would have been taken to the next level — a hearing leading to a finding. The process would have voraciously eaten time and energy and money, preventing us from providing godly leadership and pastoral care to the flocks committed to our charge. We may well have been subject to suspension and/or monetary fines, which would also have hampered our ministry and the life of our dioceses even more.</p>
<p>So we opted to cut our losses and live to fight another day. We did not compromise on anything of essential importance. We intend to keep the conversation about polity alive in the councils of the Episcopal Church. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair” (2 Cor. 4:8). And we face the future with faith and hope, even as we realize there will be more obstacles and difficulties in the witness we believe ourselves called to bear.</p>
<p><em>The Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins is Bishop of Springfield and a member of the board of the Living Church Foundation.</em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/catholic-voices" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Catholic Voices</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/opinion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">opinion</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/title-iv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Title IV</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/katharine-jefferts-schori" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Katharine Jefferts Schori</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/presiding-bishop" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Presiding Bishop</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/essays-reviews" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Essays &amp; Reviews</a></div></div></div>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:07:30 +0000Douglas LeBlanc858 at http://www.livingchurch.orgBishops: No Regrets at Kanugahttp://www.livingchurch.org/bishops-no-regrets-kanuga
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By G. Jeffrey MacDonald<br />TLC Correspondent</p>
<p>Nine bishops who expressed a dissenting view on the nature of church hierarchy have agreed to refrain from further expression until General Convention addresses the matter. An Accord of Conciliation drew mixed reviews as the March 8 announcement coincided with the House of Bishops’ semi-annual meeting at Kanuga Conferences in North Carolina.</p>
<p>While bishops held a retreat on the theme of “Godly Leadership in the Midst of Loss,” they “did not spend substantive time” talking about church structure or the accord, according to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. They instead focused on other types of loss, from personal grief to an earthquake in Haiti to a mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.</p>
<p>That agenda left some bishops feeling they were ignoring “the elephant in the room,” according to a March 10 blog post by the Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins, Bishop of Springfield, who is among the nine who signed the accord. In another post, Bishop Martins said he and his named peers feel “battered and wounded … [by] a demeaning experience.”</p>
<p>The eight other bishops who signed the accord are the Rt. Revs. Maurice M. Benitez, Peter Beckwith, John W. Howe, Paul E. Lambert, William H. Love, D. Bruce MacPherson, Edward L. Salmon, and James M. Stanton.</p>
<p>“All nine of us are processing some degree of anger and are feeling substantially alienated from those who brought the charges against us,” Martins wrote. “We feel manipulated and victimized. We are nowhere near happy about this outcome, even though we stand by our decision to accept the Accord.”</p>
<p>If bishops named in the accord felt victimized or alienated, that was not evident at the five-day retreat, said the Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe, Bishop of Kansas and vice president of the house. Wolfe added that most bishops believe the church has dealt correctly with people who have left the Episcopal Church.</p>
<p>“The house feels like it has gone to second and third miles in dealing with disagreements, and has done everything it could do,” he said. “There is a sense of peace. The loss is there, but regrets about the actions are not.”</p>
<p>For their part, Martins says, the nine named bishops believe they made a helpful difference by participating in court cases and are not weakening those stances by signing the accord.</p>
<p>“We have made our point about the polity of our church in Texas and Illinois courts. Those points are now matters of public record,” Martins said in his blog post. “There is no more reason for us to intervene as we did to protect the truth about [the Episcopal Church’s] polity and interests of our own dioceses.”</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/title-iv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Title IV</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bishops" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bishops</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/news" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">News</a></div></div></div>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:57:36 +0000Douglas LeBlanc854 at http://www.livingchurch.orgOpinion: Gross Misconducthttp://www.livingchurch.org/opinion-gross-misconduct
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>From the Anglican Communion Institute:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">The recent Conciliation “Accord” announced between several bishops and their accusers over charges they violated canons in filing an amicus brief in Texas is a minor event. But it does fit well into a larger and disturbing pattern of TEC’s current leadership. That complaints were filed and charges brought against the bishops in the first place, such as to make this conciliation process necessary, represents gross misconduct on the part of the complainants in Fort Worth and of the Presiding Bishop’s office. It is misconduct not only according the canons as they now stand, but according to generally accepted ethical standards. That other TEC bishops and leaders have failed to protest this misconduct is a matter of shame for our church and for them.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com/2013/03/conciliation-accord-what-it-means/">Read the rest</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/opinion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">opinion</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/title-iv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Title IV</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/essays-reviews" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Essays &amp; Reviews</a></div></div></div>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:16:04 +0000Douglas LeBlanc850 at http://www.livingchurch.orgOpinion: Bizarre Conciliationhttp://www.livingchurch.org/opinion-bizarre-conciliation
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Bishop Daniel H. Martins writes at <em>Confessions of a Carioca</em>:</p>
<p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Conciliation” is a bizarrely inappropriate word to describe what has happened. Going into the January meeting, we bore no ill will toward our accusers, and welcomed the opportunity to meet them face to face and talk things out. Today, I think it’s safe to say that all nine of us are processing some degree of anger and are feeling substantially alienated from those who brought the charges against us. We feel manipulated and victimized. We are nowhere near happy about this outcome, even though we stand by our decision to accept the Accord.</p>
<p><a href="http://cariocaconfessions.blogspot.com/2013/03/conciliation.html">Read the rest</a>.</p>
<p><em>Image: Justice, by Edward Onslow Ford [public domain], <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AEdward_Onslow_Ford_-_Justice.jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a></em></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/opinion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">opinion</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/title-iv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Title IV</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/property-battles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">property battles</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/essays-reviews" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Essays &amp; Reviews</a></div></div></div>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:07:43 +0000Douglas LeBlanc848 at http://www.livingchurch.orgBeing a People of Peacehttp://www.livingchurch.org/being-people-peace
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Catholic Voices</span></p>
<p>By Jordan Hylden</p>
<p>In a recent interview with John Mumford, national director of Vineyard Churches in the U.K. and Ireland, Archbishop Justin Welby comes across as a very good communicator, humble yet confident, and as a man whose hope and vision originates from one person: Jesus. I’ve been told by someone who knows him well that he spends more time in prayer and Bible study than any priest she’s ever known.</p>
<p>Here’s what stuck with me most, in relation to our own church. In a violent world full of suspicion and fear, Archbishop Welby says, we in the church must be a people of <em>peace</em>. Being a people of peace won’t “mean we all agree, [but] it means we love each other when we don’t agree.”</p>
<p>He adds: “If you look back at some of the arguments we’ve had over the last few weeks and months here in the Church of England, it is poison to the mind of those who are outside the church. It anesthetizes them against the Gospel.”</p>
<p>Substitute the Church of England in the last few months for the Episcopal Church for the past <em>many</em> years, and I couldn’t think of a more apt description of where we are as a church today. Karl Marx once said that history always repeats itself, as it were, twice — the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce. That line’s occurred to me often while reading the news about the secession of the Diocese of South Carolina, and the looming black cloud of yet <em>more</em> lawsuits on top of the millions we’ve already spent, against a diocese that was one of the only growth spots in the entire church but felt pushed out the door. This <em>again</em>? Must we keep repeating ourselves until there’s nothing left but a pile of old empty buildings?</p>
<p>I wish to God it weren’t so, but apparently it is. Our presiding bishop delivered a sermon to the Episcopal Church’s remnant people in South Carolina Jan. 26, and she began with a story about a local man who had made the mistake of flying his glider too close to a nuclear power plant. It was an honest mistake, but for his sins the local constabulary decided to put this septuagenarian in a tiny and crowded jail cell for over a day. He was, understandably, upset. See the analogy yet? Well, here it is, with the all the subtlety of a baseball bat: “I tell you that story because it’s indicative of attitudes we’ve seen here and in many other places. Somebody decides he knows the law, and oversteps whatever authority he may have to dictate the fate of others who may in fact be obeying the law, and often a law for which this local tyrant is not the judge. It’s not too far from that kind of attitude to citizens’ militias deciding to patrol their towns or the Mexican border for unwelcome visitors. It’s not terribly far from the state of mind evidenced in school shootings, or in those who want to arm school children, or the terrorism that takes oil workers hostage.”</p>
<p>Yes, she went there. Our presiding bishop saw fit to allude to a “local tyrant” (no specific names, you understand) and to compare him with backwoods militias, terrorists, and the murderers of children in schools.</p>
<p><em>Really</em>? Must we treat one another this way? This is what Archbishop Welby calls “poison” to people outside; <em>this</em> is what anesthetizes people against the gospel. Yes, there are important disagreements and issues at stake. Yes, there’s enough blame to go around. But let’s not compare each other to terrorists and serial murderers. Let’s at least start there.</p>
<p>In this vein, a few of us intermittent Covenant bloggers helped put together a <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/233/377/858/bearing-with-one-another-in-love-toward-reconciliation-in-south-carolina/">petition about South Carolina</a>. We think, basically, that if we’re going to start loving each other as a church across our many divisions, a good place to start would be by not suing one another. We also think (or at least I think) that the House of Bishops has the opportunity at its March meeting to start changing course. Why must our entire church be hijacked by this?</p>
<p>If you agree, please sign and spread the word. We have attracted more than 200 signatures, including many from left, right, and center such as the Rev. Fleming Rutledge, the Rev. Robert Hendrickson, the Rev. Dr. Jo Bailey Wells, the Rev. Russell Levenson, the Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, and the Rev. Tobias Haller.</p>
<p>One comment from a signatory that stuck out to me, from Ms. Sarah Raven in Connecticut: “I am deeply committed to the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Church. Not just because it is morally right but also because I am a bisexual woman. That being said, just because I may disagree with some of the thoughts and feelings of some of the folks in the Diocese of South Carolina, I still love them as my brothers and sisters in Christ and it deeply pains me that we may forever break our bonds of affection.”</p>
<p>Hear, hear. First comes Christian charity. After that comes everything else. Let’s be a people of peace.</p>
<p><em>The Rev. Jordan Hylden, a transitional deacon from the Diocese of North Dakota, is a doctoral candidate in theology at Duke Divinity School.</em></p>
<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/125662495/Being-a-People-of-Peace" style="text-decoration: underline;" title="View Being a People of Peace on Scribd">Being a People of Peace</a> by</p>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/diocese-south-carolina" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Diocese of South Carolina</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lawsuits" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lawsuits</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/catholic-voices" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Catholic Voices</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/opinion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">opinion</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories-top field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Categories:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/lead-story" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lead Story</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/essays-reviews" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Essays &amp; Reviews</a></div></div></div>Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:02:15 +0000Douglas LeBlanc816 at http://www.livingchurch.org